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Hope for Libya

It has been a busy week. It is hoped that the rival factions in Libya will finally sign a peace accord on December 16. This was announced on December 11 at the conclusion of a two day meeting in Tunis. See link below.

The Arab Spring in 2011 resulted in the overthrow of Gaddafi, and a National Transitional Government took over. The calm came to an end in 2014, with open warfare broke out among the various ethnic/ religious groups.

The internationally recognized government is located in Tobruk, located on the far eastern side of Libya, close to Egypt. The rival government is located in Tripoli, on the western coast, the traditional capital of Libya. In the western desert areas, bordering Algeria, the Tuareg forces are in control. They were loyal to Gaddafi during the 2011 civil war.

ISIL apparently controls Sirte located on the coast in the center of Libya, the birth place and the city most loyal to Gaddafi.

Kerry flew to Rome today to take part in a high level ministerial meeting, and voiced strong support for a cease fire and the peace agreement.

I believe the strategy to unification , obtain a cease fire “peace” agreement between the Tobruk and Tripoli governments, and then work jointly to defeat the more extreme jihadist factions.